


As One

by Beetle Brownleaf (monsterlover)



Series: I Trust You [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Explicit Consent, F/M, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Spoilers, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Major Spoilers, Non-Explicit Sex, Patch 5.0: Shadowbringers Spoilers, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-20 20:22:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21062642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monsterlover/pseuds/Beetle%20Brownleaf
Summary: Alternatively Titled: The One Where They Do It. For real though it's romantic and sweet.





	As One

A visit back to the First, and Beetle was eager to visit Urianger back in Il Mheg. She had made extra efforts to primp herself, earlier, sitting at her vanity. It had been so long since she felt like getting all dressed up, and she took advantage of the mood. She tucked flowers in the plait on top of her head, and donned a beautiful, thick silk robe. Her lashes were darkened, her lips and cheeks rouged, and her neck and wrists were dabbed with perfume. She was giddy with excitement; it had only been a week since she had seen him last, but she was eager to see him again, to hold him and kiss him again. 

As she entered through the portal, the Exarch greeted her.

“Good to see you again, my friend. To what do we owe this–”

He suddenly sniffed the air.

“Are you… wearing a fragrance?”

Beetle blushed.

“Oh dear. Yes. Rosewater. Is it too much?” 

“No no, it is just rather… distinct,” he replied, with a half-smile, “Am I to assume you are on your way to see Urianger?”

Beetle’s blush intensified.

“I… yes,” she said, with a nervous giggle, “I just wanted to be especially… presentable for him.”

The Exarch chuckled.

“Oh, you are that, to be sure,” he said, “I’m sure Urianger will be very pleased, indeed. Can I assume that having your room refreshed today would be unnecessary?”

“Oh, _really,_ G’raha,” she chastised.

She then cleared her throat.

“…And yes, you assume correctly.”

G’raha smiled, a mischievous, toothy grin that showed his pointed canines. Beetle glared at him, flustered.

“Quiet, or I’m gonna tell everyone about the time you tried to climb the tower back in the Source with naught but a couple of forks,” she replied.

“Ah! That was– there was drink involved, you know that!” he sputtered.

Beetle laughed as she headed out.

“Oh, relax, your secrets are safe with me. Well, I shall see you anon!”

“Yes, indeed. And… _good luck,_” he said, smirking.

“Ohh, _don’t._”

* * *

Beetle dismounted the amaro a little ways away from the Bookmans’s Shelves, giving it a treat before sending it on its way. She smoothed herself out and shook out the nerves, attempting to walk gracefully to her beloved’s abode, and not adopt a full-on sprint like she honestly wanted to.

She arrived at the door, finding it half-open, and gently knocked as she let herself in.

“Urianger,” she said, “Are you there?”

She entered, looking around, when she spotted him at the top of the stairs. He smiled upon seeing her, and opened a journal that he’d been carrying. He read from it, as he descended the steps:

_My beloved is a garden,  
_ _Where I doth tend to the flower of our love.  
_ _No beds be as verdant as her eyes,  
_ _Nor be as rich as her locks.  
_ _No rose doth bloom as red as her cheeks,  
_ _No petals be as soft as her lips.  
_ _My beloved is a garden,   
_ _In whose shade I fain would rest, for all my days._

Beetle’s smile reached across her face, eyes sparkling with warmth and affection. He walked slowly to her, and knelt.

“My beloved,” he said, with a soft smile, “Full glad am I to see thee again.”

Beetle ran into his arms and kissed him. Urianger smiled against her lips, wrapping his arms around her.

“You wrote that yourself?” she said.

“Under the inspiration of my muse,” he said, suddenly breathing her in.

“Oh! Thou art indeed a garden,” he exclaimed, “Mine own garden of roses.”

Beetle giggled, happy that he noticed.

“And thy hair, thy visage,” he said, “Such exquisite beauty. Thou didst not need to go to such lengths to present thyself to me. Thou art already beautiful beyond compare.”

Her face fell a bit. He gave her a reassuring smile.

“But it doth gladden my heart to know that I am deemed worthy of being privy to such attentive beatifications,” he said.

Beetle’s smile returned, as he kissed her forehead.

“Come, let us away. The night shall befall us soon, and I would watch the stars with thee,” he said, sweeping her into his arms, carrying her as prince might carry a princess.

“Oh Urianger, please, I can walk,” she said, blushing.

“And allow thee to risk damage to thy raiment? Nonsense,” he said, “I would not see a single bit of thy meticulous work sullied.”

A gentle kiss to her lips was all the convincing she needed.

————————————————————————— 

He carried her to a high hill, a perfect spot for stargazing.

Beetle sighed happily, overlooking the beauty of the faerie kingdom. The lake shimmered subtly beneath the setting sun, the flower petals blew by in the breeze, and the subtle trilling of pixies rung throughout the air. Beetle always loved coming here; it was like a place pulled right out of her dreams.

“My, always such a lovely view,” she said, gently sitting down on the grass.

Urianger sat down beside her, and pulled her closer to his side. 

“Indeed,” he said, clearly referring to her.

Beetle rolled her eyes.

“Oh heavens, you’ve been getting advice from Thancred, haven’t you?” she snorted.

“Nay. I am fully capable of devising poor jests on my own,” he replied.

They laughed, looking out on the horizon. The sun would set soon, and then night - still such a fascinatingly new thing to have in Il Mheg - would arrive, and the stars would make their appearance.

A silence settled between them, and Urianger stirred subtly. 

“Beetle,” he said, suddenly, “Pray, allow me to kiss thee. I needest thou.”

Beetle giggled.

“Of course! You don’t need to ask m–”

He couldn’t let her finish, so eager was he to touch her lips again. Beetle brought her hands towards his face, and he took them in his, holding them lovingly. Her chest blossomed with warmth; he kissed her with a gentleness beyond compare. No anguished desperation, no fear of what might happen next, just a perfect, still moment in time. 

They stayed locked in their giddy embrace well past the fall of night, ignoring all else but each other.

Urianger laid on his back, gazing up at the sky, and Beetle laid on her stomach, playing with his hair, giving him the occasional kiss.

As they laid together, watching the stars, their minds began to wander, and, unknowingly to the other, each were thinking of very similarly lurid things.

Urianger felt as if his skin were burning beneath the midday Thanalan sun. His mouth grew dry, and he tried his best to distract himself by pointing out constellations.

“…And up there, to the east. Tis a constellation the pixies here refer to as Titiana’s Staff. There, the three largest stars, and the four lesser stars beneath them form the staff.”

“Ah yes, I do see it,“ she replied, fidgeting with her robe, “My, what a warm night.”

Urianger shifted in his spot.

“Indeed. Tis rather uncharacteristic for this time of year. Mayhap the hot winds of Ahm Areng have blown overly far,” he replied.

Beetle laughed, beginning to feel light headed.

“Oh, goodness,” she said, loosening her collar, “I think you may be right.”

Urianger found himself at a loss. Visions began flooding his mind, wild fantasties involving lips and skin and whispers. Thoughts he had certainly… entertained… before, and especially now they were together, but never with such a sense of urgency as now.

Beetle found herself feeling down right dizzy at this point, her head spinning with sudden thoughts of throwing herself at him, begging for his touch. She felt the need for cool water on her skin, and she rose to walk to the edge of the lake.

“Is aught amiss?–Beetle!”

Urianger exclaimed, as she began throwing off her robes, stripping down to her bathing clothes.

“It’s too hot. I think I’ll take a dip in the lake,” she said, walking down to the lake’s shore, “Care to join me? We can stay in the shallow end.”

Urianger blushed, taken by her exposed skin, so beautiful in the starlight.

“Ah, I suppose a small traipse in the shallows would be… refreshing,” he said, unwrapping his own robe as well.

Beetle unknowingly licked her lips at the sight of his bare chest. She went ahead into the lake, shivering at the sensation of the cold water touching her burning skin.

Urianger timidly stepped into the water, suddenly very aware of how exposed he was. Damn his long legs; she probably thought him a lanky fool of a man.

“There, see? This water’s deep enough for me to float in, but you’re tall enough that you could probably just sit down there on the edge of this dropoff here. Only your legs would be in the deeper end,” she reassured him.

“As thou sayest,” he said warily, following her into the lake.

He held his breath as he carefully sat down in the edge of a small dropoff. The lake was still enough to not pull him under, so he stayed put, to his relief.

“Ahh, much better,” she said, lazily gliding through the water.

“Indeed, I must admit, this is rather rejuvenating,” he said, relaxing.

Beetle began to float on her back.

“Oh, certainly,” she said, gazing up at the stars.

The two relaxed in the lake, Urianger admitting to himself that the cool water was, indeed, a great help in calming his mind.

Beetle began gently gliding through the water with a backstroke, and Urianger watched her with increasing affection. She looked so lovely, and he loved how the ripples she created in the water slowly trailed down to embrace his own skin. 

The imagery moved him; he likened it to the nature of their whole relationship, from first meeting, to comrades-in-arms, to dearest friends, and to lovers. She had wandered into his life, with beauty and strength, her initial presence most lovely indeed, but the ripples she created with her words and actions became the echoes of her soul that touched him and filled him with adoration, and, eventually, love and desire for her. 

An all encompassing warmth swelled within him, creeping forth from him in the form of a joyful smile.

_He loved her._

Yes, they had been formally together for a few weeks now, and he always knew of his feelings, but the sheer _weight_ of the fact had suddenly come down on him, and it grounded him to the moment, intensified every sight and sound and feeling. 

“Beetle,” he called out to her. She stopped swimming and turned to him.

“Yes?”

“I love thee.”

Beetle smiled, and swam back towards him.

“I love _you,_ Urianger,” she said.

He bent down and kissed her, gently, carefully. Beetle put his hands on his knees, using them to hoist herself up closer to him.

Urianger felt himself completely lost in the sensations of the kiss; her soft, oh so soft, lips on his, her nose grazing against his own, her wet lashes tickling his face, setting his skin ablaze. She parted her lips, allowing him to kiss her with more fervor, and fervent he was.

“I love thee,” he found himself saying again, into her mouth, as she sighed against him.

He kissed so, so wonderfully, and with such passion, she was partly convinced she was dreaming of him again.

“Ah!” she squealed, as he moved from her lips to her neck, “Darling, we’re going to be in trouble if you kiss me there!”

“Mayhap it is trouble that I seek,” he playfully mused, pulling her flush against him as they kissed.

“Urianger,” she gasped. She could feel every contour of his body against hers, and it ignited a flame inside her chest.

A sudden, strong urge crept up within Urianger, and he pulled away from her, gazing into her eyes.

“Beetle,” he said, his voice still loving, but suddenly quite serious, “I wish to make love to thee, if thou wilt permit it.”

The very breath seemed to leave her body. How often had she pictured it, even musingly so? But for the possibility to now be so tangibly close… it made her head reel.

He took her pause to mean she was less than enthusiastic, and he began to stammer.

“I… know we have only been together for little over a moon, but I… I know I desire this,” he said, “However, if thou art not amenable, I shall speak of it no more.”

“_Yes,_” Beetle answered, belatedly, “Yes, Urianger. I want you.”

They shared a heated gaze that lasted a full moment before quickly rising, half-running back to Urianger’s house, haphazardly carrying their clothes with them. Wet, half naked, the flowers falling out of Beetle’s hair, Urianger nearly slipping on the floor, they eventually made it up to his bed, where they kissed passionately. 

“Beetle,” he began, when they had separated for a moment, “I must confess that I am… apprehensive.”

She sighed lovingly.

“Urianger,” she said, bringing her hand to his face, “we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

He placed his hand over hers.

“Tis not that I lack the desire,” he said, “but rather, the experience.”

Beetle’s eyebrows raised.

“Oh, you mean you’ve never…?”

He shook his head.

“I see. That’s not a problem. Well, it’s a bit of pressure, I suppose, but, no problem,” she said, nervously.

“Forgive mine ignorance, but,” he began, “How art we to proceed?”

Beetle looked at him, her brow furrowed. 

“What do you mean?”

Urianger swallowed, his mouth dry.

“I am… rather… _large_… and thou art…_ not._” 

The words came out painfully, and his face instantly flushed bright red.

Beetle’s face lit up.

“Ahh, of course,” she said, “Well, luckily, there are ways, my love.“

He started to feel dizzy, a nervous pit forming in his stomach.

Beetle started rummaging through her pack on the nightstand, and pulled out a vial of clear, slightly viscous liquid.

“What… what is that?” he asked, a little excited.

“Body oil. I usually use it when my skin begins to crack in dry air. But it can be used for our purposes.

”…I am afraid I do not follow,“ Urianger said, his excitement only growing.

“Well, you see, I would put it here,” she said, running her hands along the inside of her thighs, “to allow you to ah, slip yourself between them.”

Urianger went light headed, putting his fist to his mouth.

“Oh, my,” he said, “But how doth thee deriveth pleasure from this?”

Beetle smirked.

“Use your imagination, darling,” she teased.

Urianger thought for a moment, then blushed with understanding.

"Oh. Oh my,” he said, “I must say, I was not aware thou wert so… well versed in such matters.”

Beetle looked away, nervously.

“Well, I wasn’t always. Most everything I learned from Haurchef–”

She stopped herself, a bit mortified.

“Oh. Sorry.”

Urianger shook his head.

“It bothers me not. I was quite aware of the rumors of Lord Haurchefant’s… proclivities. I understand he was thought to be a rather… sensual… man.”

Beetle cleared her throat.

“That’s certainly _one_ word for it,” she said, “But either way, I think we can try it.”

She placed the bottle on the end table.

“Now, Urianger… why don’t you dim the lamp a bit?”

As he tended to his task, she quickly undressed, pulling the blanket over herself, up to her chest.

“Ah, a little dimmer, perhaps, darling?” she suggested, when he had turned down the lamp.

He detected the nerves in her voice, and realized she must have been a little shy. He dimmed the lamp to the lowest it would go, without putting it out. In truth, there was more light from the moonlight in the open window, than there was emanating from the lamp.

He climbed onto to the bed, and slowly peeled the blanket off her.

“No, don’t… don’t look at me,” she suddenly begged, her face red.

Urianger’s face twisted with worry.

“Wherefore ever not?” he asked.

Beetle looked away.

“I know I’m not exactly the most… appealing… I’m not slender or shapely, even for my own kind… and you’re so perfect, slim and statuesque and towering.”

Urianger’s face softened.

“Beetle, I love thee not for thine appearance, but please be assured, thou art beautiful indeed. I have ever been drawn to thy radiance… Pray believe me when I say this,” he said, his voice gentle. 

“Oh, Urianger,” she sighed, as lips and bodies drew near.

_He always knew what to say._

* * *

Their heated breaths saturated the air around them, as they lay beside each other, sweat beaded on their foreheads, their hair in a disheveled mess.

"I would appear to need another dip in the lake,” Beetle said, weakly laughing.

“As would I,” Urianger said, smiling, “But I fear my strength is sapped." 

Beetle rolled over onto her stomach, as he pulled the blanket over her.

"Never have I felt as I do now,” he said, sighing, his chest heaving.

“Hah, well, I’m glad you enjoyed it,” she said, lids growing heavy.

Urianger softly shook his head.

“Thou doth misunderstand. I speak not merely of the lovemaking itself, but of the intimacy it begat. I feel…ah,” he laughed quietly, catching his breath, his smile so broad it made his face ever so slightly ache, ”…the words fail me.“

"Well, there’s something new,” Beetle said, giggling.

Urianger gave another breathless laugh.

“Pray, allow me but a moment,” he said.

Beetle nodded, eyelids fluttering. 

Urianger took in a deep breath, and he took her hand in his.

“I feel as if thou hast interwoven thy soul with mine own,” he said, kissing her flushed cheek, “As if thou hast opened its long-abandoned doors and entered within. Oh, my beloved. I feel as one with thee.”

Beetle looked at him through half-closed eyes. 

“I feel that way too, darling,” she said, sleepily, “I don’t have the words for how happy I am… for how much I love you.”

Urianger smiled, sweeping her hair out of her face. He kissed her forehead, as her lids drooped lower and lower. 

“Pleasant dreams, my beloved,” he said, as she drifted off to sleep, with a half-smile.


End file.
